Page 389If Nibbāna is nothingness, then it necessarily must coincidewith space (Ākāsa). Both space and Nibbāna are eternaland unchanging. The former is eternal because it is nothingin itself. The latter is spaceless and timeless. With regard tothe difference between space and Nibbāna, it may briefly besaid that space is not, but Nibbāna is.

Page 390The Nibbāna of Buddhists is, therefore, neither a state of nothingnessnor a mere cessation. What it is not, one can definitelysay. What precisely it is, one cannot adequately express in conventionalterms as it is unique. It is for self-realization (paccattamveditabbo).

Can you explain this in some other way? Does it mean that there is something called Nibbana?

Space is Nothing. But nibbana or emptiness is not nothingness but the realisation that time, space and objects are no-things ie. anatta. This is the point between existence and non-existence. Things neither exist nor don't exist but are empty or insubstantial. Their nature is to arise and pass away ie. anicca.

And what is right speech? Abstaining from lying, from divisive speech, from abusive speech, & from idle chatter: This is called right speech.

A common misconception is to equate the term "nothing" with "nothingness". The reason for this is the working of consciousness which is determination of what is indeterminate as this or that."nothing" means just that there is not anything, the absence of all that might be something. So both nibbana and space can be said to be nothing, since there is absense of everything, But this absence of everything is not replaced by nothingness, since there is just nothing, not even nothingness.Space may be said to be nothing in that there is no presence of tangible objects at all.Nibbana may be said to be nothing in that there is not the slightest perception of anything as this or that, in that arising of consciousnesses has ceased.

===========On an earlier occasion, too, we had to mention the fact that thereis quite a lot of confusion in this concern.33 Sakhata, the compounded,is supposed to be a thing. And asakhata, or the uncompounded,is also a thing. The compounded is an impermanent thing,while the uncompounded is a permanent thing. The compounded isfraught with suffering, and the uncompounded is blissful. The compoundedis not self, but the uncompounded is ... At this point the lineof argument breaks off................Let alone other concepts, not even Nibbana as a concept is to begrasped. To grasp the concept of Nibbana is to slip into an error. Sofrom the couplet quoted above we clearly understand how subtle thismaññana is and why it is called an extremely subtle bondage ofMara.

Why is Nibbāna regarded as unfalsifying? Because there is no ‘thing’ in it. It is so long as there is a thing that all the distress and misery follow. Nibbāna is called animitta, or the signless, precisely because there is no-thing in it.

These words of the Buddha enjoining us to see the world as being empty show that it is the highest thing. Anyone who wants to be without problems concerning Dukkha and death, should look on the world, i.e. on all things, as they truly are, namely as empty, neither "I" nor "mine". The statements of the Buddha that follow on from this show the benefits: 'Nibbana paranam sunnam' and 'Nibbanam paramam sukham', which translate as 'Nibbana is the supreme emptiness' and 'Nibbana is the supreme happiness'. You must understand that Nibbana, the remainderless extinction of Dukkha, means the same as supreme emptiness, and that it is possible to know and realize an emptiness that is not supreme, an emptiness that is in some way deficient or false. The truth-discerning awareness must be so impeccably clear that one has not the slightest feeling of "self" or "belonging to a self" for it to be called paramam sunnam, supreme emptiness. Supreme emptiness is Nibbana because it completely extinguishes the things that are on fire, the stream or whirlpool of flowing and changing phenomena. Thus the supreme emptiness and the supreme extinction are one and the same thing."

pegembara wrote:Why is Nibbāna regarded as unfalsifying? Because there is no ‘thing’ in it. It is so long as there is a thing that all the distress and misery follow. Nibbāna is called animitta, or the signless, precisely because there is no-thing in it.

With a meditator who meditates on the base space, it is possible that on the dissolution of the body he will be reborn in the base of space and remain there for a very long time, but being still subject to rebirth, after that time, he would be born again.

When a monk has attained Nibbana, he is no longer subject to rebirth.

SarathW wrote:Can you explain this in some other way? Does it mean that there is something called Nibbana?

Here is a quote from the Great Discourse on Causation: LD#15

Seven Stations of Consciousness"Ananda, there are these seven stations of consciousness and two spheres. Which seven?

"There are beings with diversity of body and diversity of perception, such as human beings, some devas, and some beings in the lower realms. This is the first station of consciousness.

"There are beings with diversity of body and singularity of perception, such as the devas of the Brahma hosts generated by the first [jhana] and some beings in the four realms of deprivation. This is the second station of consciousness. [2]

"There are beings with singularity of body and diversity of perception, such as the Radiant Devas. This is the third station of consciousness.

"There are beings with singularity of body and singularity of perception, such as the Beautifully Lustrous Devas. This is the fourth station of consciousness.

"There are beings who,with the complete transcending of perceptions of [physical] form, with the disappearance of perceptions of resistance, and not heeding perceptions of diversity, [perceiving,] 'Infinite space,' arrive at the dimension of the infinitude of space. This is the fifth station of consciousness.

"There are beings who, with the complete transcending of the dimension of the infinitude of space, [perceiving,] 'Infinite consciousness,' arrive at the dimension of the infinitude of consciousness. This is the sixth station of consciousness.

"There are beings who, with the complete transcending of the dimension of the infinitude of consciousness, [perceiving,] 'There is nothing,' arrive at the dimension of nothingness. This is the seventh station of consciousness.

"The dimension of non-percipient beings and, second, the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception. [These are the two spheres.]

"Now, as for the first station of consciousness — beings with diversity of body and diversity of perception, such as human beings, some devas, and some beings in the lower realms: If one discerns that [station of consciousness], discerns its origination, discerns its passing away, discerns its allure, discerns its drawbacks, discerns the escape from it, would it be proper, by means of that [discernment] to take delight there?"

"No, lord."

(Similarly with each of the remaining stations of consciousness and two spheres.)

"Ananda, when knowing — as they actually are — the origination, passing away, allure, drawbacks of — and escape from — these seven stations of consciousness and two spheres, a monk is released through lack of clinging, he is said to be a monk released through discernment.

The base of space is very long lasting, but not eternal. After a time beings pass away from there and are reborn according to their kamma.

Hence the desire for a further escape called the Nibbana element.

After one has attained Nibbana, one will not be born again. With the cessation of birth, ageing and death cease.

Last edited by Ananda26 on Tue May 20, 2014 1:36 pm, edited 1 time in total.

So now that we have presented this synoptic verse, we propose to windup this series of sermons. As a matter of fact, the reason for many amisconception about Nibbana is a lack of understanding the law ofdependent arising and the middle path. For the same reason, true to theBuddha’s description of beings as taking delight in existence, bhavarama,lusting for existence, bhavarata, and rejoicing in existence,bhavasammudita,20 Nibbana came to be apprehensively misconstrued astantamount to annihilation. Therefore even commentators were scared ofthe prospect of a cessation of existence and tried to explain away Nibbanathrough definitions that serve to perpetuate craving for existence.